Chapter 83: 081 Progress

The data for Pengcheng has been finalized, while data from other cities remained largely consistent.

As previously agreed, Liu Wan confirmed her participation in the short-selling group and would become one of the behind-the-scenes architects of Guoshanfeng; today marked their full consensus on professional collaboration.

Yu Xing was highly satisfied with Liu Wan’s capabilities and the scope she could manage; Liu Wan, in turn, was astonished by Yu Xing’s thinking—whether extraordinary or merely unusual, she couldn’t decide.

But once consensus was reached, progress accelerated.

Yu Xing was decisive, and Liu Wan had long cultivated a habit of rapid execution; within the time of a single cup of coffee, they clearly divided the allocation of funds.

Short-selling required four companies: the first layer was Trust A in Singapore, the second was Company B in the Cayman Islands, the third was Company C in Nevada, USA, and the fourth was Xiangjiang Company D.

D → C → B → A → Yu and Liu.

This was the corporate control chain, not involving profit distribution, solely to avoid tracing Guoshanfeng’s controllers.

Liu Wan had previously thought Yu Xing overly cautious, but she respected this approach.

Beyond the Xiangjiang company, the minimum cost for the first three layers was 2.5×2 + 5 = $100,000, with additional annual maintenance fees required; this money would naturally be split equally between them.

As for the subsequent profit distribution from short-selling…

This had already been discussed: Guoshanfeng would only provide the research report, while the actual short-selling capital investment would be decided freely by the two of them; if successful, the one who invested more would earn more, and if it failed, the one who invested more would lose more.

Short-selling carried risk too: beyond potential flaws in the research itself, even accurate research didn’t guarantee a price drop—if the target company could rally investors to squeeze shorts or offset with major positive news, the operation might still fail.

Simply put, yes, the research report identified real issues, but if the company gained new positive developments that shifted market and investor expectations, the stock price naturally wouldn’t fall.

Meanwhile, more complex factors existed: falsehoods could be spun as truths, and errors could be redefined as correct.

Liu Wan mentioned this casually, believing her small institution wouldn’t reach such levels of strategic competition.

Yu Xing listened attentively and offered no superficial opinions, but he had indeed experienced this more complex factor—though now wasn’t the time to elaborate.

Work progressed smoothly, shifting from discussing over coffee to discussing over meals.

Perhaps due to the unfolding of future work, Liu Wan’s appetite improved considerably.

“We can register all companies within this month, and Fen Zhong’s domestic data should be ready soon—but we still need to wait,” Liu Wan said, strolling with Yu Xing after dinner. “First, wait for its stock price to recover; second, dig deeper into and infer Fen Zhong’s operations; third, observe whether it exhibits any regulatory violations under current conditions.”

Fen Zhong’s stock price remained low after the financial crisis, which hindered profit potential.

Yu Xing nodded in agreement: “Whether we register the companies quickly or slowly doesn’t matter—I’ve been thinking these past two days about how to make more money; the proceeds from selling Guiai.com really aren’t enough…”

Ever since realizing money wasn’t endless, this issue had become troubling.

After accounting for the company registration costs, Yu Xing’s available funds now stood at only $465,000; without leverage, even a successful short-sell of Fen Zhong would yield only modest profits.

So…

He was now considering adding leverage.

Upon hearing this, Liu Wan wasn’t overly surprised; she paused thoughtfully: “We could send the research report directly to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC); logically, they’d launch an investigation—but when, and whether they’d take it seriously, I’ve never done this myself. If it vanishes into thin air, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

“So, leverage can be used—or we could buy put options—but we must control the capital invested.”

Logically, profit should follow—but the world doesn’t always obey logic, and unforeseen factors may arise; thus, risk must still be controlled.

Yu Xing sighed: “I understand—the more money we have, the easier things become. But it feels like after three months of hard work, we’re back to square one, still needing to earn more.”

“Money is never enough—it depends on what you want to do,” Liu Wan said calmly. “Money is just a tool.”

Yu Xing nodded: “Xiao Ying, you’re right.”

Liu Wan looked up at the sky, then said softly: “I thought ‘Xiao Ying’ was the limit.”

“Is that so? It does sound intimate,” Yu Xing smiled, having set aside his business thoughts. “But walking beside you, feeling the evening breeze, occasionally glancing at your youthful beauty—it just slips out naturally.”

Liu Wan asked suspiciously: “Are you pulling out your old college-girl-flirting routine?”

Yu Xing coughed: “How about I check your pulse? See if your energy’s improved.”

He extended his hand slightly, poised to act.

Liu Wan casually dodged: “I’m afraid your hand might slip.”

“My hand doesn’t slip—I count screens daily, my hands are even rougher,” Yu Xing laughed. “Before, it was your hand that slipped. Honestly, you do seem better—your cold’s fading, no need for medicine.”

Liu Wan shot him a half-irritated, half-amused glance: “I can tell exactly how you behaved in school. Funny—my brother always said you spent all day locked in the lab.”

“I originally planned to pursue my teacher’s graduate program, but after meeting Sister Ying, I went home unable to let go—I decided I had to build something of my own,” Yu Xing said seriously. “Now, at least I’ve sold one project; my courage has grown.”

Liu Wan studied Yu Xing’s fabrication, sighing: “You’re dangerous—carrying a recorder, speaking so effortlessly. Yu Boss, you’re made for pitching investors.”

Yu Xing exclaimed: “Aren’t you the investor of Baixiaosheng?”

“You, a founder kicked out of a company; me, an unemployed person who’s already resigned,” Liu Wan said listlessly. “Let’s focus on building the business and making money first—what do you think?”

She pointed to a nearby electric scooter: “At least aim to buy a brand-new one next time.”

Yu Xing spread his hands: “A college girl wouldn’t make such a request.”

Liu Wan adopted a solemn expression: “By seniority, I’m your aunt-in-the-Dao.”

“You gave up that role yourself. Don’t believe me? Want to hear the recording?” Yu Xing said seriously.

Liu Wan was surprised: “You recorded it back then? Let me hear.”

Yu Xing shook his head: “Oops—you actually believed me? Why would I record you? I only use recording as a defense against hostile forces.”

Liu Wan reminded him: “What about Song Yufeng?”

Yu Xing paused: “He was pretty hostile back then too.”

“Forget it,” Liu Wan waved dismissively. “Save your smooth talk for when you pitch investors. I’m actually looking forward to you approaching Xu Xin—do it after finishing Guiai.com. I want to see if you’ll get beaten up.”

“Xiangjiang’s far away. Tonight’s ‘007: Quantum of Solace’—wanna watch together?” Yu Xing invited.

“Fifty kilometers. You, Yu Boss, don’t work—I still have to show up for my job,” Liu Wan shook her head. “Tomorrow I’ll arrange the Singapore trust; I’ll send you all the trust documents. You’d better hire a third-party lawyer to clarify the terms—our future cooperation must be transparent.”

“No need. I trust you,” Yu Xing said bluntly.

Liu Wan studied the man’s eyes in the night—genuinely sincere. Over recent calls and meetings, she’d sensed his seriousness about business; her heart stirred slightly. Yu Xing continued: “Besides, the money doesn’t flow through the trust. These companies are just shells to prevent equity piercing—their terms don’t matter.”

Liu Wan’s heart stilled.

She hailed a taxi, ending their structural discussion as partners.

Yu Xing told Xiao Ying to rest well that night.

“Hey, Xiao Ying,” Yu Xing called out as Liu Wan was about to get in the car, waving his phone. “Cat! Cat!”

Liu Wan slammed the car door shut—she’d been delirious that day…

Who gets delirious twice?!

Returning from Pengcheng to Xiangjiang was late; the round-trip travel and long discussions about future work had left Liu Wan exhausted. After a quick wash, she collapsed onto bed, sleep rushing over her swiftly.

But she didn’t immediately succumb; she struggled to pull her phone from under her pillow.

She had a cold—her head felt so dizzy.

…

Yu Xing’s trip to Pengcheng had successfully achieved its goals.

First, he implemented the most basic yet most effective method: spending over a month personally counting every screen of Fen Zhong in the city.

Second, he reached a cooperation agreement with a Bain elite, planning to establish a formal research firm to prepare for further short-selling.

Third, he confirmed he truly didn’t want to work for others.

Selling Guiai.com and leaving Zhenai.com, opportunities still existed outside—giants like Alibaba and JD.com seemed open, especially JD, which could still offer a timely boost; perhaps someday he could even become a senior brother to Dongzi.

But on one hand, true industry competence wasn’t something you could fake with words; on the other, Yu Xing preferred choosing brothers over being chosen as one.

Even at Zhenai.com, he’d found a paid brother—this brother actually delivered when paid.

Yu Xing didn’t immediately return to Shencheng; he planned to check if Liu Wan needed any further procedures—but much work had already begun: part-time data collection across cities, and the polemic against internet dating brands.

On November 8, Yu Xing emailed Song Yufeng in Shencheng a piece titled “Ranting Against Internet Dating,” listing key points, intending to have this former journalist handle what he did best.

The next day, Yu Xing called Song Yufeng again, telling him to check the latest email: “Ranting Against Internet Dating (Revised).”

The day after that, the email became “Ranting Against Internet Dating (Revised 2).”

This time, Song Yufeng called directly.

“Brother Xing, what’s going on? Why does your case keep changing daily? Each revision adds several pages?” Song Yufeng was genuinely stunned.

Yu Xing confirmed it further: “The industry has problems!”

Song Yufeng said: “I know the industry has problems—I mean, how did you gather so many examples? What did you even do in Pengcheng?”

Wasn’t Brother Xing just slacking off?

Wasn’t it more like he was investigating Zhenai.com’s customers?

“I have a source—it’s his work. I’ll bring him into our company later,” Yu Xing sighed. “He’s too proactive—I’m afraid he might break the law…”

Song Yufeng pondered: “Brother Xing, if he’s doing this at Zhenai.com, his character’s questionable. What if he joins Baixiaosheng—will he…”

As chairman of Baixiaosheng, he made a reasonable inference and defense: after all, a source was just a mole.

Yu Xing dismissed it: “No problem—you’re still in the company, still chairman.”

Song Yufeng felt a pang—over a month since he’d last seen Brother Xing, and already they’d grown distant. He was at least the fourth in command—how could he be equated with an employee?!

He flattered: “You’re right, Brother Xing. People can change. As the saying goes, near vermilion you turn red—I came to Baixiaosheng because of you, got equity, became chairman. Why couldn’t this brother shine too?”

Even Yu Xing paused to find a fitting reply: “Brother Feng, that’s profound.”

“Brother Xing, Baixiaosheng is in closed beta. Everyone’s waiting for your guidance—when will you return?” Song Yufeng asked, knowing the boss had escaped Zhenai.com’s entanglements.

“Probably back in two or three days,” Yu Xing said. “Oh, I meant to tell you yesterday but forgot—I think the website should directly use the slogan: ‘China’s First Workplace Community.’ We need to clearly define this niche focus and target.”

He continued: “For the forum used for leaks and sharing, add another slogan: ‘Truth Is Power.’ Workplace people need authentic information—that’s the value that will attract them.”

Song Yufeng murmured twice: “I’ll note that. Brother Xing, you’re spot on.”

Yu Xing complained: “I’m starting to confuse whether you’re sincere or just flattering. That’s not good.”

“Huh? I’m sincere! I may lack entrepreneurial experience, but I have workplace experience—I’d log onto this site. I just thought of another rule: ‘Only leak during work hours.’ That’ll motivate people to log in—don’t make them use after-work time.”

Yu Xing thought of his own past month of slacking off.

He pondered the suggestion—it would greatly help build a distinct community culture—and praised: “Brother Feng, who said you’re useless?!”

Song Yufeng suspected that the words might have come from the person on the other end of the line.

He proactively highlighted his contribution, reminding him: “Xing Ge, I’m still drafting the proclamation—the last piece that slammed NetEase was polished by me.”

“This is our Baixiaosheng’s chairman,” Yu Xing continued praising.

“Xing Ge, I have a small favor—wonder if it’s convenient…” Song Yufeng promptly raised a minor request.

Yu Xing said: “Go ahead.”

Song Yufeng spoke with a hint of embarrassment: “Can my girlfriend join our company?”

Yu Xing exclaimed: “Your girlfriend? Which one? The last one? Or from Tencent?”

Song Yufeng replied succinctly: “Tencent.”

“Sure, but before she comes, get her to push our website to Tencent’s colleagues,” Yu Xing extracted value first, then asked, “You’re moving fast—how’d you win her over?”

Song Yufeng thanked him: “Xing Ge, thanks to you. Half a month ago, I confessed to her, but she was hesitant, so I said: someone like me shouldn’t expect much—I just hoped to be with her, since I don’t fit this world at all, and I’ve lowered my expectations for everything outside… Then she said yes.”

Yu Xing was stunned: “That works?”

Song Yufeng said seriously: “Why not? I lowered my expectations.”

Yu Xing thought: earlier, when he’d talked to this guy about lowering expectations, it wasn’t like this…

He’s gone off the rails!

(End of Chapter)